Lightning Style/ Viper Blade
The Viper Blade discipline was developed to counter many of the defensive styles that existed in Divintera. The style makes many uses of feints and false openings to cause an opponent to make a mistake. Though the speed of the swings vary greatly, the true killing blows of this style come from very quick stabs or strokes. It is a style designed to get into the head of the opponent with the goal of instilling intimidation or overconfidence. Development and Strategy The Viper Blade was originally developed as the "Lightning Style." It got this name for its sudden and powerful strikes. The style was developed after a time where defensive dueling styles were dominating tournaments. The creator of this style decided for a unique offense that a sword alone could not block, attacking the opponent's mind. The style makes use of feints to make the defensive styles react and then take advantage of. False openings were used to mainly counter offensive styles but also to lure the defensive styles into attacking. This could instill feelings of doubt in an opponent and demoralize or it could make them overconfident. Either of these put the user at the advantage. The strategy of the Viper Blade discipline revolves around causing the opponent to make a mistake and taking advantage of it. It is debated whether the Viper Blade is an offensive or defensive style, though the creator simply answered that the style's intention was "to win." It will press the attack on defensive styles until it seemingly gives an opening and lures it into an attack. Conversely, it has evasions, parries, and blocks that make the user appear off balance so the opponent will strike once more. A Viper Blade user is often told to not reveal how fast they can swing until they sense an opening to win, so they may catch an opponent off-guard for the final attack. While an effective style offensively and defensively, it has notable difficulties dealing with rapid attacks from an offensive focused style. Variants This style became popular after it effectively defeated many defensive styles in tournaments. It even saw some use on the battlefield in certain cases, but was primarily seen in duels. It's also led to many injuries for users who cannot properly perform false openings or get a read on their opponent as it does leave the user open to attack if they are not careful. Single Blade: '''The original variant and also the most popular one. It is often used by fencers in Herand but Paladins have used it with a shield to mask the sudden strikes. This variant was also generally the most effective at goading an enemy into an attack as they would usually appear open and with less options to defend with. The free hand was occasionally seen slapping the opponent to further rile them up and provoke them into an assault. '''Two-Handed: '''While effective, it is generally not considered as effective as the Single Hand variant. It is harder to bring the heavier blades to the defense of the user in time but the strikes are far more deadly when they connect. The user has to be very good at avoiding injury however, since the heavier weapon will be even more difficult to wield with this style should one of their arms become injured. '''Dual Blade: This variant is very good at misleading opponents as the second blade will usually catch them by surprise. This variant is a little better at dealing with rapid attacks as it gives another option to counter with. The user has to be just as precise and tricky with their off-hand though, making this a difficult style to learn. While not used as often as the Single Blade variant, it is often argued which of the two is the most effective.